Buffalo weather no problem for Griffs as baseball defeats Warriors

By: Andrew Nowel, Sports Layout Editor

Spring has arrived, but the Buffalo “fake spring” continues as the baseball team returned home to open their first series on the Demske this season. A dominant offensive performance followed up by even better pitching led the Griffs to their first MAAC series win of the season.

After dropping the first game of the series to the Merrimack Warriors on Friday, the Griffs were forced to forget the 4–2 loss with a doubleheader on Saturday, due to the possibility of a rainout on Sunday. The quick turnaround wasn’t abnormal for the Griffs, but the multitude of games was a concern for the team.

As Game 1 on Saturday began, however, the Griffs built their energy from first pitch. Fueled by timely hits, including freshman Rocco Panepinto’s first collegiate triple, the Griffs jumped on the Warriors’ pitching early, scoring seven runs through the first three innings. Panepinto would add his third collegiate hit during the onslaught to bring home another run, and he finished the day 2–for–6 with three runs batted in. Head Coach Matt Mazurek was pleased with how Panepinto and freshman infielder Grady Brown both have been able to stay composed in big moments this season. “They stay calm. When they get to two strikes, it’s ‘alright I know what I have to do’, and they’re trusting their work and going out and executing,” said Mazurek on Wednesday.

The wind began to become a factor in the game, helping the Warriors piece together a small comeback, but a strong performance, overall, by junior pitcher Joe LoPinto kept them limited in their opportunities. LoPinto allowed three earned runs over 5 1/3 innings pitched while the bullpen was lights out, allowing no more runs. 

The Griffs added a five-run sixth inning to win Game 1 14–3. In Game 2, the pitching stole the headline. Freshman Mark Rogers tossed six innings nearly scoreless with only one earned run and three in total. Helped by a three-run sixth inning, Rogers and junior Jacob Hageman kept the Warriors to three runs while the offense tallied five to earn the 5–3 victory. Mazurek gave just as much credit to his pitching staff as he did with his batting order. “When you can get 11 innings out of 18 out of your starters, it shortens your bullpen. A longer outing of LoPinto allowed us to move Rogers to a starting role in the second game, and he looked really sharp,” said Mazurek.

Waking up on a rainy Sunday morning with their first series win in the books, the Griffs took the next two days before resuming practice to focus their attention on the Rider Broncs. The Broncs come into the upcoming weekend with the best batting average and fielding percentage in the MAAC while having the third-best pitching staff in the conference. A tough opponent for the Griffs, but Mazurek is confident with what the Griffs will build on in practice from last week as they prepare to head to the “Dirty Jerz.” Mazurek explained, “Our offense has to be very good from an approach standpoint. I think we’re capable, we have to put the guys in the right spots, but when we get into the games, we have to make them make plays and not give away at-bats,” said Mazurek.

A quick weekend trip for the Griffs begins on Friday afternoon in Lawrenceville, N.J. before the Easter weekend home series against the other Jersey MAAC opponent, the Saint Peter’s Peacocks, takes place next week. With hopes of warmer weather as Major League Baseball (MLB) begins this weekend, the Griffs look to continue to battle for wins, no matter what Mother Nature throws their way.

Via Lindy Feider